trickle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream.
Tears trickled down her cheeks.
-
to come, go, or pass bit by bit, slowly, or irregularly.
The guests trickled out of the room.
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to run or cause to run in thin or slow streams
she trickled the sand through her fingers
-
(intr) to move, go, or pass gradually
the crowd trickled away
noun
-
a thin, irregular, or slow flow of something
-
the act of trickling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tricklesimple
-
tricklessimple
-
have trickledperfect
-
has trickledperfect
-
am tricklingprogressive
-
are tricklingprogressive
-
is tricklingprogressive
-
have been tricklingperfect progressive
-
has been tricklingperfect progressive
Past
-
trickledsimple
-
had trickledperfect
-
was tricklingprogressive
-
were tricklingprogressive
-
had been tricklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trickle
1325–75; Middle English triklen, trekelen (v.), apparently sandhi variant of strikle, perhaps equivalent to strike (in obsolete sense “flow”) + -le
Explanation
To trickle is to weakly flow out of something, like a faucet. A trickle is like a drip. There are a lot of ways water can flow, but one type of slow dripping is called trickling. If your shower is only releasing a trickle of water, you're not going to get much of a shower. If it's raining — but only a trickle — you might not need an umbrella. A slightly leaky roof is trickling. A trickle is the opposite of a downpour or flood. Trickling can also be called dribbling.
Vocabulary lists containing trickle
Vocabulary: A Rapper's Delight!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chuck Berry (1926-2017) Tribute List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lyrical Vocabulary, Volume II
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But despite the challenges, his hope is that workplace changes will "trickle through businesses" in time.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Finally, even the interviews slowed to a trickle.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
As I stood against the bar top and watched people shyly trickle in, Vasquez came up to me.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The problem is this takes time to trickle down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
I blink over and over trying to make the tears evaporate before they trickle over.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
That has driven worries of rising inflation, as the cost of fuel trickles down to consumers through virtually every industry.
From MarketWatch ● May 17, 2026
I love this idea that we can bring people together and then it trickles out to other things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Jackson said: "That trickles downstream to mean that comedy is not getting funded even though it generates billions in revenue, millions in tax, it's not being proportionately reinvested back into the sector."
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
This money trickles through the economy, and some of it ends up adding to the earnings of big, traded companies.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
For a time, sunshine trickles into the tunnels through the catacomb grates, weakly lighting the floor.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
“Let’s stop all the discrimination against street vendors... Enough!” she said in Spanish while tears trickled down her face outside City Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Volunteers served warm meals and donations from local residents trickled in.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The rising costs of energy have trickled down to nearly every part of the economy, from gas prices to shipping costs, and rising inflation fears have pushed long-term U.S. bonds yields to multi-decade highs.
From MarketWatch ● May 24, 2026
The qualities that defined a “bop” quickly became less specific when they trickled down through social media.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
His shoulders heaved with emotion, tears trickled down his face.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
But this time, on championship point number six, a serve came cracking down that Muchova could barely get a racquet to, the ball trickling away just a few yards along the grass.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Yet it’s hard to see the spoils of an AI-driven economy trickling down to everyone.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Gulf-state oil may be trickling back into the global economy and lowering gas prices, but we’re still staring down the barrel at months of sticky inflation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Some of the funds that the Kim regime made through selling weapons and hacking are trickling down to the residents,” said Lee, who heads a data-research center owned by DailyNK, an online publication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Her sandwich remained fixed in midair, the barbecue sauce trickling down her fingers.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
